


The Muse Tray

by Elvendork



Category: Cabin Pressure
Genre: F/M, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2011-11-16
Updated: 2014-09-12
Packaged: 2017-10-26 04:17:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 2,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/278603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elvendork/pseuds/Elvendork
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of drabbles and ficlets kicking around on my laptop with nowhere else to go. Potentially any character, pairing or genre could show up, but I will state them in the chapter summary in case you want to skip one. No connection or chronology unless stated.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Douglas Will Fix It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A tag for St. Petersburg I wrote some time ago. Gen.

_Douglas will fix it._

The thought crosses Carolyn’s mind the moment she realises something is wrong. She’ll never tell him.

_Douglas will fix it._

It’s Martin who lands the plane, and lands it well. He can’t save the engine, though.

_Douglas will fix it._

Even Douglas can’t conjure money from nowhere. But Arthur is still confident despite their doubts.

_Douglas will fix it._

He suggests Gordon. Carolyn knows she has no choice.

_Douglas...can't fix it._

Gordon is a smooth talking thief. She doesn’t even realise.

Douglas soon does; it takes one to know one, Carolyn supposes.

_Douglas will fix it._


	2. St Petersburg, from GERTI's POV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two-in-one this time. Also a tag for St. Petersburg, but this time from GERTI's point of view. Gen.

GERTI sees things the others don’t. Perhaps they don’t want to; perhaps they have other things on their minds.

For example, Douglas doesn’t hear Martin’s whispered apology when they land. GERTI does, and creaks in acknowledgement. It’s not his fault.

Equally, Martin doesn’t see Douglas’s sad little pat of her control column, his own silent farewell. And neither of them notices the sweeping look of regret that Carolyn casts behind her as they walk away.

Only Arthur exits with his spirits intact. GERTI is glad; that’s how she wants to remember him. Dear Arthur, an impossible optimist to the end.

~~

She should have expected this, should have believed in Arthur.

Douglas, wonderful Douglas – of _course_ he sorted it out; of course.

She imagines he was suitably smug about it beforehand, naturally. Imagines he quite infuriated Carolyn. He always does. Not that, really, either – any – of them – would have him any other way.

Nor Martin, for that matter, who is a far better pilot than he gets credit for; or Arthur with his boundless enthusiasm; Carolyn who has somehow kept them together for so long.

They are, in GERTI’s humble opinion, the finest crew ever assembled.

It’s a smooth flight home.


	3. Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One thing all members of MJN have in common is that they need a little more time. Gen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit where it's due, this was inspired equally by a scene in the film "Third Star" and by Tashilover's CP fanfiction "His, not mine". Neither of which I own, by the way, though I strongly suggest you check them both out.

All he needs is time. He’ll pass his exam one day; he _will_ , no matter how long it takes. One more go or ten, he will do it in the end.

~~

All he needs is time. Someday he will get it right, and he will find that person; that _one_ person. He won’t ever need to hear the word _divorce_ again.

~~

All she needs is time. It’s improving every day, or so she tells herself. MJN will be profitable, she will make it so.

~~

All he needs is time. It can take quite a bit, but he always understands eventually.


	4. Martin Passes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Martin is finally a qualified pilot. Gen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was actually written before the previous chapter, but although they aren't related it just made sense to upload them in this order, I think.

Martin stares. His mouth falls open. Actually falls open like a cartoon. He tries for words; fails. Tries again, and manages a kind of strangled squeak. His lips curl without instruction into a smile, then a grin, and then he _laughs_.

A short sharp burst and then it’s gone; no, this can’t be right. He checks the paper again. Reads, re-reads and reads again, just to be sure, _absolutely_ sure.

He finally knows what it feels like to fly, to _really_ fly, and he’s doing it now even though his feet are firmly on the ground – he’s soaring.

He’s passed.


	5. C/H: Opera

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carolyn/Herc - the first non-AU attempt I've made, so I hope it works, short as it is. A brief conversation following a trip to see an opera.

‘So, what did you think?’ Herc prompts, as Carolyn unlocks the front door.

‘If you mean that horrendous noise you have the audacity to call _music_ , my opinion is the same as it’s always been.’ It’s the truth, after all. Even if she knows it isn’t what he was asking.

‘And did you enjoy yourself?’ Herc’s tone is far too shrewd for Carolyn’s liking.

She ignores the question, opening the door and calling back over her shoulder, ‘well, are you coming in or not?’

She doesn’t see Herc’s smile because she’s deliberately not looking around, trying to hide her own.


	6. Wing!Fic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Me jumping on the wing!fic bandwagon. Gen, but AU.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Couldn't resist anymore, sorry. I contemplated writing a full-length take on it, but I'll leave it here for now and see how things go...obviously very short and lacking any actual storyline, but still with a spot of Douglas angst thrown in. Might expand it, don't know yet...

Martin’s wings are not large. They’ve grown in the last few years, more than in his entire life previously, but they’re still just the embarrassing side of average.

Arthur’s are the biggest and brightest he’s ever seen. 

Carolyn’s are steely grey. Some days Martin thinks they look much larger than his, but on others he isn’t so sure.

None of this is surprising. Wing size seems to be somehow (no one actually knows _how_ ) linked to a person’s…well…their _happiness_.

Which is why the sight of Douglas’s wings unnerves Martin so much, because of the four of them, _they_ are smallest.


	7. The Proposal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carolyn/Herc. What it says on the tin (or rather, chapter title.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A random little scene which got stuck in my head and wouldn't go away; it was much too short to be its own story, but even so took a bit of cutting down to put in here.

‘Carolyn, I –’ Herc stops; he clears his throat, frowns at the mirror, and tries again.

‘I want you to know…that is to say, despite – no, no that’s wrong, not _despite_...what I mean to say is that I have very much enjoyed our…’ he trails off and sighs hopelessly.

_Good Lord, Hercules; you have done this four times already, do get a move on. You ought to know what you’re doing by now._

‘I’m trying to ask you to marry me,’ he says in a rush, then whips around when he hears movement behind him.

‘Yes,’ replies Carolyn, beaming.


	8. Tyson & Snoopadoop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Featuring a walk in the park with, Carolyn/Herc, _very_ slight Martin/Douglas, and I suppose Snoopadoop/OCC. (Original Canine Character).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little scene that's been stuck in my head for a long time now...I couldn't make it long enough or plotty enough for an independent one shot, but it still took a lot of editing to get to this point.

Tyson is a German Shepard, over twice the size of Snoopadoop and infinitely more dignified.

That is, when he isn’t chasing her through the park, tail wagging, tripping over his paws and yapping – _yapping_ – in distinctly puppy-like joy.

Snoopadoop carefully stays out of reach, pausing occasionally and almost letting him catch up before setting off again at a pace even Tyson’s much longer legs can’t manage.

Herc and Carolyn’s voices are completely unheeded.

Martin and Douglas, hands casually linked, glance over as they walk past, smirking simultaneously.

‘Well,’ Douglas raises his eyebrows, ‘they do say dogs take after their owners.’


	9. Goodbye to the Student House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Post Yverdon-Les-Bains, assuming Martin took the job. Slight mention of Martin/Theresa.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to - and for once, probably will - do an extended version of this at some point, but for now I just scribbled this down. It doesn't say half of what I wanted it to, but enjoy.

Martin stands on the doorstep of his home for the last decade, suitcase in hand, and thinks about leaving. 

He thinks about moving to Switzerland, and being closer to Theresa. He thinks about being paid to fly with a proper airline and real professionals in a reliable plane.

He thinks about the chaos of student housing, and never having any free time. He thinks about being teased and having no salary and never being taken seriously; of lemons, pianos and failing engines.

He thinks about Douglas’s sarcasm, Arthur’s misunderstandings, and Carolyn’s harsh leadership.

He thinks he’s going to miss it.


	10. Martin & Theresa's Discussion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay, couldn't resist. Also set after Yverdon-Les-Bains, this time before any decision has been made. Not connected to the previous drabble. Martin and Theresa have a conversation: dialogue only.

‘Do you want to leave?’

‘I want to be closer to you. And get paid.’

‘That is not what I asked. I asked if you _wanted_ to leave.’

‘I’d be working for a real airline.’

‘True.’

‘MJN would probably fold.’

‘True.’

‘You’re not helping.’

‘I’m not trying to. This is your decision.’

‘But I can’t make it!’

‘You have to. I’m sorry, but you do.’

‘It would upset Arthur.’

‘Also Carolyn and Douglas, I imagine.’

‘But I’d get _paid_!’

‘If you would be paid for staying with MJN, would you?’

‘What are you getting at?’

‘I may have a solution.’


	11. MJN's Goodbyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Yverdon-Les-Bains, assuming Martin took the job - MJN say their goodbyes at the airport before he leaves. Not connected to the previous two really, but can be set after chapter 9 if you like. Gen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to be a drabble, but I couldn't fit it all into 100 words. I managed to get it down to 200 with a bit of editing, so consider it a double-drabble I suppose...

‘Well, this is it,’ says Carolyn briskly, coming to a reluctant halt.

‘Good luck, Skip,’ says Arthur with a weak smile. ‘We’ll miss you.’

‘Farewell, mon Capitan,’ Douglas, shaking Martin’s hand solemnly. ‘You’ll be fine. You’ve learned from the best, after all.’

Martin tries to smile, avoids laughing because he’s afraid if he does it will come out as a sob, and after one last flurry of goodbyes, he turns away.

He has only gone a few steps before he has to turn back – he runs the short distance towards his oddball little MJN family and throws his arms around them. Douglas is right; he would never have become the pilot – the _person_ – he is now without them. He is inexpressibly grateful to all of them for the last five years. He doesn’t know where he would be without them, and he will miss them – the job, yes, but _them_ more so – _so_ much. 

He doesn’t know how to tell them, but he knows he has to try.

‘Thank you,’ he whispers. ‘ _Thank you_.’

He knows he is not imagining that their arms tighten around him, and he knows he is not the only one losing the fight against tears.


	12. Daemon AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daemon/HDM AU. Entirely gen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prettybirdy979 and I were talking about Cabin Pressure daemons, and then I couldn't resist. I really shouldn't be considering a full-length daemon AU, given my appalling update history for my current WIP series, but...there are whisperings. For now, there's this. I didn't even really attempt to keep to any particular word count, it was pretty clear straight away it would never fit as a drabble. It's a bit disjointed, but if I ever did elaborate I'd clean it up.

When Simon Crieff was born, his daemon’s first form was that of a puppy. His mother couldn’t have sworn to the breed – only to the blinding, overwhelming love she felt when she first laid eyes on them. His father claimed she was the spitting image of his own bull dog, and no one was inclined to disagree. They were thirteen when she settled as an alpine marmot.

When Caitlin was born, her daemon was a rabbit. He kept that form almost consistently for nearly a week, but after that seemed constantly restless and uncomfortable in his own skin, changing rapidly and drastically on a regular basis until he finally settled as a hedgehog some fourteen years later.

When Martin, the third and final of the Crieff children, was born, no one thought much about his daemon’s form except to comment that she was exceptionally small. She was a bird, certainly, which was unusual in that most new-born forms are some sort of mammal, but people generally assumed she was merely mimicking Wendy’s own plump chicken. She was featherless, flightless, and terrifyingly fragile – no one lingered too long trying to assign a specific species. 

The first ripple of comments occurred when they were around two weeks old, and Aya had still not taken on a single mammal form. She shifted subtly between different species, but never took a wingless shape for even a moment. It was… odd.

By the time they were three months old, it had become positively strange.

At a year, most people were used to it. She did occasionally take other forms by then, but by far her favourites were still of the avian variety.

On their third birthday she rather took to being a sugar glider. She spent their fourth as a dragon fly.

When they began swimming lessons at school, she was invariably a penguin.

On trips to the beach, she was a seagull; a cormorant; a tern; an albatross.

By the time they were ten, no one questioned it any more. Some wondered whether Martin’s obsession with flight stemmed from Aya’s or vice-versa, but the links between human and daemon are far too deep and complex to separate the two enough to come to any real conclusion.

No one was surprised when, at just eleven years old, Aya settled as a swift. 

Martin was delighted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Martin's daemon's name has several meanings, but the ones that caught my eye were that it is apparently Hebrew for "to fly swiftly" or "bird", as well as the name of an African Adinkra symbol for "endurance and resourcefulness".


	13. He'll Tell Them

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yet another post-Yverdon. I swear, it's like Reichenbach all over again. Gen.

Martin starts making bets with himself.

_If the students have done all their washing up this morning, I’ll tell MJN about Swiss Air._

The students _never_ do all the washing up.

_If I win three word games in a row, I’ll tell them._

He loses the next five, by an increasingly large margin.

_If Douglas eats the emmental before the brie, I’ll tell them._

Douglas _always_ eats the brie first.

_If Arthur manages a whole flight without using the word “brilliant” –_

_If we arrive in Cape Town on time –_

_If it snows in Venice –_

_If they ask –_

_I’ll tell them._  
 


	14. Antagonist, Purple, Inquiry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the fandom challenge on tumblr, 3 words + pairing = 5 sentence fic.  
> Martin Crieff/Douglas Richardson. 3 words: Antagonist, Purple, Inquiry.
> 
> Hogwarts AU. Original post [here](http://elvendorkinfinity.tumblr.com/post/88363177943/fandom-challenge-prompt-if-thats-okay-martin)

Somehow even amidst the chaos of the battle around them, half of Douglas’s attention is still focused on Martin; he is aware of his partner’s every move without even having to consciously process it.

When he sees the streak of purple light, sees it hit Martin squarely in the chest – he doesn’t even have to think before he is whirling around and furiously dispatching the Death Eater in question with an expertly placed stunning spell.

He goes to his knees beside Martin and only manages to keep hold of his wand from sheer force of habit, grabbing at the younger man’s shoulders frantically.

‘Are you alright?’ he demands, ‘Martin, _are you alright_?’

‘I’ll live,’ Martin croaks, a pained smile spreading briefly across his face as he reaches up to weakly take Douglas’s hand; Douglas could cry from relief.


	15. Toaster, Buttercup, Stripey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the fandom challenge on tumblr, 3 words + pairing = 5 sentence fic.  
> Martin Crieff/Douglas Richardson. 3 words: Toaster, Buttercup, Stripey.
> 
> Original post [here](http://elvendorkinfinity.tumblr.com/post/88363281363/marlas-toaster-buttercup-stripey)

‘I think you should have buttercups at the wedding,’ says Emily stubbornly, biting her lip in concentration as she selects the right crayon for her next bout of colouring in.

‘Buttercups are – _ow_!’ Martin only barely manages not to drop his breakfast on the floor as he plucks it from the toaster and burns his fingers in the process.

‘Why buttercups?’ asks Douglas, leaning over to get a better look at his daughter’s drawing. It features two men, unmistakably himself and Martin, both in full pilot’s uniform; he does not fail to notice that _both_ have four stripes on their arms.

‘They’re pretty,’ Emily shrugs.


	16. Avarice, Loneliness, Banana

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the fandom challenge on tumblr, 3 words + pairing = 5 sentence fic.  
> Martin Crieff and Douglas Richardson. 3 words: Avarice, Loneliness, Banana.  
> Gen, although your imaginations are your own.
> 
> Original post [here](elvendorkinfinity.tumblr.com/post/88689602443/martin-and-douglas-angst-is-appreciated-if-theres)

Loneliness has become such an integral part of Douglas’s being that he hardly even notices it anymore, but every so often it will rear its ugly head and force his acknowledgement.

After a lifetime of failed romances and failed jobs and no one but himself – his mistakes, his greed, his inability to appreciate what he has when he has it – to blame, it should not be a surprise to find himself alone on his sixtieth birthday.

It is, though, a little, and that hurts.

He is peering forlornly at the total contents of his kitchen after a week away – three eggs, half a tub of margarine, a mouldy slice of bread and a badly bruised banana – wondering whether or not to bother with a run to the shops, when the doorbell rings.

It is Martin, still in his Swiss Air uniform, grinning nervously and clutching a hastily wrapped box of who-knows-what – whatever it is is crushed between them as Douglas envelops his ex-co-worker, his friend, in quite the biggest hug he has ever bestowed in his life.


	17. Carolyn & Swiss Airways

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carolyn hates Swiss Airways. Set some time post-Yverdon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know where all this CP angst is coming from, but it's all I seem capable of writing at the moment (most of it is still unpublished). This is one of those snapshots that sprang into my head more or less fully formed.

Carolyn hates Swiss Airways. She hates their company, she hates Herc, she hates the whole _bloody_ lot of them.

_‘Mum, I’ve had a job offer.’_

First they had taken Herc, then Martin; then her company and her pride, and now her son.

_‘Of course I don’t mind, it’s your decision.’_

Arthur can’t see through lies any more than he can tell them. Carolyn isn’t sure whether this is a blessing or a curse.

She’d been running MJN for over ten years, and they’d finally been making a go of it. Not a profit, but that had stopped mattering so much, somehow. They were… happy.

Now she is exactly what she has always sworn she would never become; a little old lady alone in a house far too big for her, clutching a photograph and pretending she has something in her eye.

It’s over. It’s all over.

Carolyn _hates_ Swiss Airways.


End file.
